French government backs newspapers

The French government seems determined to encourage its citizens to be newspaper readers. It is expected to give away a further 210,000 free newspaper subscriptions to people aged 18-24 over the next year.

This state intervention - a programme known as Mon Journal Offert (My Complimentary Newspaper) - will cost more than £13m over three years.

It got off the ground last October and exceeded its target of giving 200,000 subscriptions to 59 enlisted titles within seven months, having received 300,000 applications.

Publishers and taxpayers split the cost of the free subs on a 50/50 basis, with subscribers receiving just one copy per week of their chosen title.

According to Editors weblog - the World Association of Newspapers blog - research suggests the programme is having a measure of success.

It quotes a study by Patrick Klein, director general of Vision Critical: "Trust in the press had gone up among subscribers, from 14 to 24%. Over half the subscribers who said that they now buy other newspapers, did not do this before, and 62% said that they have started to read their chosen paper's online edition."

France's news industry is amongst the least profitable in Europe, but a government report concluded that "the huge amount of financial aid it receives has kept the country's press in a state of 'permanent artificial respiration.'"